Deku Toad
Deku Toads are a species of Spume found throughout aquatic environments across the kingdom of Hyrule. Like other amphibians they go through a metamorphosis, slowly growing from egg to tadpole-like Toado, to the juvenile Toadpolis, and finally into fully mature Deku Toads over the course of a thousand years. This seems to be a regular maturation rate for monstrous creatures throughout Hyrule, as Moldarachs evolve at the same pace and Dodongos may as well. The term Deku Toad and its alternate name, Deku Frog, are misnomers -- these creatures are not directly related to frogs and toads and instead appear to be more closely related for Salamanders given their elongated body, likely number of vertebrae, and their longer, usable tail that all seem to be defining traits of Spumes. They are closely related to the Fire Toad, which instead inhabits volcanoes. Life Cycle Egg Like with all organisms, Deku Toads start their lives as an egg. Presumably these eggs must be fertilized by a second Deku Toad, although it's entirely possible that the species instead goes through parthenogenesis; there is no evidence for this either way. Deku Toads keep their eggs on their back in a similar manner to the far smaller and unrelated Suriname toad. Until they are ready to be hatched they are kept underneath a layer of skin but the exact procedure to get this accomplished is unknown; it may or may not be a similar technique to that used by the Suriname Toad. However it happens, the eggs sink into her skin into pockets and remain here for an undisclosed amount of time. Eventually these eggs mature and are ready to hatch but the mother apparently keeps them in stasis until needed. At this point she will use muscles in her back to force the eggs to the surface and shake them loose. Upon hitting the tension of a watery surface, these eggs will finally burst open and release the larval Toadoes. The eggs are notoriously built to burst open on impact to allow the Toadoes developing or in stasis inside to immediately begin hunting on their own. This has been used by adventurers to actually stop the egg-imprisoned Toadoes before they ever can become a threat, simply by firing off bomb arrows to burst the eggs prematurely, killing the Toado inside. Toado thumb|left Toadoes are the hatchling stage of a Deku Toad's life. After being shaken from their mother's backside, they will immediately hatch upon landing in the water. It is unknown if the act of hitting the water at such velocity causes the eggs to burst, or dissolve, or whether the Toado inside initiates the hatching, but they are immediately capable of swimming on their own at this point. Unlike many species, including amphibians, Toadoes do not hatch with any yolk still attached and as such are immediately ravenous and seek out a meal. They are not known to cannibalize their own kind. Toadoes are not above attempting to eat adventurers, but their strategy of strength in numbers serves as a weakness for them in this regard, as a spin attack can take out several at a time. thumb At this stage of their life they are still limbless, instead using a long, finned tail to move them around. Despite their rotund body shape, they do not appear to be clumsy but rather quite nimble and accurate. Toadoes are perfectly at home in just enough water to let them swim about, but appear to live near larger bodies of water and likely enter these soon after birth. At some point during their lives they will grow back legs and metamorphose into a Toadpoli. Toadpoli thumb|A Toadpoli By the time a Deku Toad reaches the Toadpoli stage, their hind legs have fully grown out. They have also grown a minor level of armor and their feather antennae-like fleshy growths have already grown out. Known locations of these juvenile Deku Toads are in Zora's River and the connected Lake Hylia in Hyrule, and the Goron Mines in Death Mountain, where their sister species, the Fire Toad, is also found. Toadpoli have become more strategic in their attacking potential prey items, and now operate in a manner similar to archerfish by spitting projectiles at land-based prey to stun them and cause them to drop into the Toadpoli's home. This process is a defining trait among them and their froggy relatives. This process makes them similar to aquatic River Octoroks, and like octoroks their projectiles can luckily be deflected with a shield. Toadpolis are not foolhardy, and will dive below the surface should an opponent get too close to them. Deku Toad Mature Deku Toads are dutiful mothers and, similar to Suriname toads, will carry their maturing eggs on their back. Interestingly she seems to be able to fling these from her back at will and upon leaving their mother they will immediately hatch into Toadoes. The only recorded Deku Toad actually used her young to attack for her, preferring to crawl along the ceiling and drop on her foes instead but not doing so so long as her young were on the ground beneath her. These adults and likely all forms before it have a major vein network in their tongues, as it is known that cutting one's tongue off will actually kill it, presumably through exsanguination. Deku Toad adults will swallow ornate objects such as treasure chests, possibly in a manner similar to tiger sharks. Category:Legend of Zelda Universe Category:Creatures Category:Fictional Creatures Category:Magical Creatures Category:Fauna Category:Sentient Beings Category:Non-sapient Beings Category:Amphibians Category:Frogs Category:VU Category:Video Game Creatures Category:Freshwater Creatures Category:Cave Dwelling Creatures